Wind Theory
by vanillas
Summary: Sakura is sent on a simple solo mission, but nothing is quite simple for a shinobi. "Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect." ― Margaret Mitchell SasuSaku, Narutoverse
1. Chapter 1

**_AN:_**** Welcome to the first chapter of Wind Theory (Finally posting the first chapter of my first Multi-Chapter, woooo) Anyways, this chapter is somewhat short since its the first one and its just a kick starter. Enjoy!**

_"Tomorrow, Tomorrow's wind will blow."_ - Ancient proverb.

* * *

_"Ah."_

Sakura exhaled deeply as she happily walked through her front door and kicked off her boots.

"I wish you wouldn't kick your boots all ove- Sakura! Oh, welcome home dear." Cheerfully Sakura's mother hurried to embrace her rarely present daughter.

Sakura's mother gave one more squeeze before letting go. "You're home just in time to get cleaned up and then join your father and I for dinner."

Sakura smiled, tiredly.

"Sounds wonderful."

The exhausted kunoichi was internally giddy at the fact she could finally get a real night at home, relaxing and having dinner with her family. As of late, it seems she was always on a mission or at the hospital. Although, things had been particularly calmer than they had been in the past. Missions were getting safer, hospital calls less and less traumatic.

After Sakura shed all of her ninja gear and had a proper bath she put on a comfortable red t shirt and black pants.  
The aroma wafting up the stairs of her mothers cooking finally lured her away from her comfortable bed and into the kitchen.

"Well, look who it is!" Sakura's father greeted her with an enormous grin, and a big hug.

"Your mother really outdid herself on dinner, but we finally have three around the table again to eat it all! Good thing you have an appetite." Her father said in his usual light joking tone.

They all sat around the table and Sakura was hungrier than she had realized._ Home cooking… How long has it been? Ah, it was the little things she was so thankful for. _

"Your hairs gotten longer Sakura-chan." Her mother said with a smile from across the table. It seemed her mother had always liked when her daughter kept her hair long.

Sakura twisted the end of her hair in her fingertips, it was a little past her shoulders, not as long as it was but not as short. She sighed_. I haven't even noticed, I'm gone so much…_

"It really is nice having all of us here for dinner, hopefully you'll be home a bit longer this time Sakura." Her father said, patting his full belly. She smiled, being away from her parents made her truly appreciate them when she did see them. Quirks and all.

"Thank you so much for dinner, mother. It was delicious."

_ and it sure beats instant ramen and food pills._

_*knock knock*_

"Now who could that be? It's nearly 9pm." Sakura's mother said with a disapproving tone.

Sakura went to the door and opened it to find Sai with a weird smile.

"Summons from Lady Hokage." He said.

From the kitchen Sakura's mother said loudly and clearly irritated, "she just got home!"

"It is only a message. I was submitting our mission report and she asked if I would deliver the message to you on my way home." Sai said through his practiced grin.

"You already finished the mission report…." Sakura said, confused at first but expecting nothing less from Sai of all people, "Thank you, Sai."

Sakura slipped on her sandals before she left, "I'll be right back." Her mother grunted in annoyance that she was already out the door.

-xxx-

"Tsunade-sama." Sakura bowed politely stifling back a yawn.

"Aa, yes. Sorry to call you here so soon after your mission but I've got an assignment for you, but don't worry you will have a few days to rest. I wanted to give you all of your information first and foremost." Tsunade answered sifting through a stack of papers.

"It will be a simple mission for you. The Land of Tea has agreed to let us gather herbs from their country in exchange for some scrolls of our medical knowledge. The Land of Tea has a lot of medicinal plants that we don't have access too anywhere near here, which will be very beneficial in medicines, or potentially creating new ones. Also, in turn we have some medical knowledge they don't. Fair trade. Everybody wins."

"Will this be a Solo mission Tsunade-sama?" Sakura inquired.

"Yes, there is no need for a larger unit. You are extremely educated and will know what to look for and gather, and should you come across any problems, you are capable of taking care of yourself. But, this mission should be relaxed and there should not be any hiccups. Just deliver the medical scrolls, and get to gathering." Tsunade explained gathering a few books from under her desk.

"Take these and refresh your memory on medicinal plants."

Sakura grabbed the books, "Will do."

Tsunade pulled out her bottle of sake.  
"Sorry it's not a more exciting mission, but it has to be done. Plus, it's one hell of a hike so think of it as… Vacation. You'll have a lot of time to yourself." Tsunade smirked as she poured into her cup.

"Of course, Tsu-" Sakura's sentence was cut off by a yawn.

"That will be all. Get some rest."

-xxx-

Sakura plopped on her bed. All she wanted to do was sleep for a few weeks. Call it exhaustion, call it being a drama queen, but Sakura didn't necessarily want to go on this solo mission. At least not now. It would take a while, and she just didn't think a solo mission to gather herbs and medical plants was_ urgent_.

_ Sakura you're a medic, this is an opportunity to learn something, create a new medicine, gain insight on some disease curing plant._ But she just wasn't feeling it.

She wanted to eat her Mother's cooking, maybe spend a day with her friends, train with Naruto and Sai, maybe go to the dango stand.

But a solo mission retrieving plants...wasn't hard just time consuming, and it was just being alone the entire time she wasn't fond of…  
She could practically hear Naruto..

_ What?! You're lucky, Sakura-chan. Grandma never gives me solo missions!_

Maybe it wasn't being alone... she'd done that before. Maybe it was the fear of...encounters with certain people.

_No, I doubt that will happen. _

She shook her thoughts away and shut her eyes. Tomorrow is when she would worry about it.

Tomorrow is she would study the medicinal plants book, again.

Tomorrow, she could be a kunoichi, but right now she was just a very exhausted Sakura.

* * *

**AN:**

**First chapter of my first Multi-Chapter Fic ever, whoop whoop! *avoids being hit by flying fruit***

**As first chapters go this was just to get things rolling, more like a precursor.**

**Once everything gets going the chapters will most likely be rather long but oh well, more fun ^-^**

**THANK YOU if you're reading this, bless your soul honestly. If you want to leave a review you can, **

**-****_xoxo_**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

_There is no changing the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails. - Anonymous._

* * *

The next couple days Sakura had her face in the medical text books trying to absorb as much information as she could.

A light knock on her bedroom door interrupted her studies.

It was her mother.

She sat down next to Sakura on her bed.

"So you're leaving for another mission tomorrow Sakura-chan…. Alone?" She said, slowly.

"Yes, mother. Why?" Sakura seemed puzzled that her mother was discussing her mission with her.

"I'm just… Worried. The last time you went off by yourself you almost got yourself killed."

There was a pause.

Sakura's entire body stiffened as she put her hand to her throat.

"Don't be foolish Sakura, do not put yourself in danger by looking for him again." Her mothers voice was stern and serious.

That's what her mother said, but what she meant was _"Please… Give up on him."_

If only it was that simple.

"Mother, I'm 17 years old. I can complete the mission given to me. I'm not going to wander off on my own terms. Please, you have no reason to worry." Sakura had a hint of anger in her voice, did her mother genuinely not trust her?

Sakura's mother left her at that to let her continue her studying but it was all she could do to read another sentence without becoming unfocused.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of anger, regret,_ humiliation._

Ever since that day she vowed never to be caught as the damsel again. If she considered herself a true kunoichi, she would be seen as one -not as a failure, not as weak, not as cowardly, not a little girl but a young woman who was perfectly capable of holding her own.

Opening the window, she let in a calming breeze. She shut her eyes and inhaled.

* * *

Sakura woke up bright and early; it was the day of her mission.

She reached into her drawers and pulled on a fishnet under shirt to go beneath her usual red tank top, along with her black shorts, skirt, and gloves.  
Sakura sealed most of her heavier supplies away into a sealing scroll and swung her back over her shoulder.

-xxx-

"Right on time, as usual." Tsunade stated as her apprentice entered her office.

"Here's a list of some specific plants I'd like for you to look for. Also, here are the medical scrolls. Do NOT lose them." Tsunade handed her a stack of scrolls and papers and she put them into her pack.

"This mission shouldn't take more than 5-10 days, depending on how fast you get there. Travel time will account for the majority of this mission, after that you should be in and out in no time. Any questions?"

Sakura shook her head, "None, thank you Shishou."

"Alright, get going. Before that Naruto wakes up and comes busting through my doors demanding he get a solo mission too." Tsunade dismissed her.

_Naruto._ Sakura should've said bye to Naruto but it had barely crossed her mind while she studied the textbooks. She felt guilty, but she wanted this mission to go smoothly and quickly, so she crammed the information into her memory.

Right as she passed through the gates she made a mental list to make sure she hadn't forgotten any scrolls, or weapons.

After about 15 minutes had gone by,Sakura realized that despite their loudmouths and crude comments she missed Sai and Naruto's presence on a mission.

Naruto's spirit usually put everyone else at ease.  
Although, this wasn't a dangerous mission so she was already at ease… For the most part.

_Get to the land of Tea, gather, go home. Simple. _

Sakura admitted even on the most minor of missions she did not want to disappoint her Hokage.

* * *

One day had passed and Sakura hadn't face a single problem. It was actually surprising, almost every mission she'd been had involved a small run in with a bandit or two, maybe a wild animal, but now; nothing.

_Maybe Lady Tsunade was right when she said this would be more of a vacation than a real mission…._

At that thought Sakura kept her eyes peeled for the nearest Teahouse where she could stop and have some quick lunch.

She followed the sounds of a busy, bustling street and knew a village was near. Sakura smiled when she saw a small Teahouse just on the edge of the village.

The inside was mostly empty.

"Some tea and some food sounds wonderful," she inhaled the smells and smiled.

Sakura plopped her things down and immediately a man came to take her order , he was dressed rather strangely with a white cloth around his face, quite similar to the mask Kakashi always wore.

"What would you like?" He said gleefully.

"Some green tea, and some Onigiri. Thank you." Sakura folded up her menu.

"Perfect." The waiter took her menu and walked away.

Ten minutes had passed and still no tea. Sakura tapped her fingers aimlessly on the table.

_Maybe they are out of tea… I should probably just make camp somewhere anyways._

She rubbed at her temples slightly.

Right as Sakura considered leaving, her waiter arrived with a pot of tea and her glass.

"I'm so very sorry for the wait."  
He said pouring the steaming liquid into her cup.

This guy gave her the creeps with that mask, and that...weird tone of voice.  
She shook it out of her head as she finally took a big gulp from her cup.

"Aaaaaah." She filled it up with tea once again.

_This isn't so bad… _

Her mind relaxed.

After consuming a few cups of tea she decided it would be smart to use the restroom before she took off again. Sakura stood to her feet.

_Woah. _

_I must have stood up too fast._

A flash of dizziness hit her like a tidal wave. Sakura made her way to the ladies room, shaking her vision back into focus ever so often.

_Wow, I feel weird… Come on, Sakura. Snap out of it._

A voice yelling behind her caught her attention.

"No! That bathroom is- uh, it's out of order!" the waiter yelled suddenly dropping a tray with a loud clank.

Sakura had already entered.

Her eyes went wide.

An older man in a kitchen uniform was tied up on the ground, mouth taped, and eyes frantic with fear.  
"Hmmm-mmmm!" The man tried to speak, but the tape was restricting his words.

Her mind was racing with confusion.

"I'll, h-help."

Sakura's words moved slower than molasses coming out of her mouth. She braced the wall trying to a dig out a kunai, when a knife whizzed past her and straight into the Kitchen Man's chest.

"No!" Her head whipped around to see the waiter and two other men dressed like him.

_W-what the hell is going on? Who are these men? Why are my movements slowing! _

_Move, Sakura!_

"Grab her, she's almost out." The "waiter" said in a completely different tone than he had been portraying earlier.

Sakura panicked trying to fumble out a weapon and backed up, her limbs becoming jello. She grasped the sink behind her and wished and prayed her body would react as fast as her mind.  
It was like being being trapped inside your body; like those nightmares where you try to scream and you can't make any sounds.

The three men turned into six as her vision began to double.

As quick as she could she forced chakra into her fist and swung it aimlessly trying to hit a real person.

Then, it was black.

* * *

**A/N: Second chapter, longer than the first, wooooooo! **

**I am genuinely so surprised I actually got follows AND reviews on my first chapter, it means so much and helped ease my anxiousness, hehe. **

**Also, for those of you who are eager SasuSaku shippers, here is your warning, I don't rush things... but you won't be disappointed in the end (eh... I hope not)**

**Anyways, thank you so much for your kind words and encouraging words. **

**xoxo**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

_"If a man does not know which port he is steering for, no wind is favorable to him" - Roman Philosopher _

* * *

Sasuke stared at the teapot in the same way he had for the past hour.

An petite, elderly woman who must have been eighty years of age, wiped down the counters of her Teahouse while the stoic boy aimlessly gazed, not a word out of his mouth other than "Thank you."

"It's getting late dear, would you like something to eat before I close?" She said out of concern. He had been there for well over an hour and had only consumed tea.

"No, thank you." He replied, realizing she was speaking to him.

"Are you sure? Young men like you need to keep strong." The old woman grinned at him while she pulled out a broom.

The place was empty, it was only him who had stayed so long.

"I see you liked the tea," she said motioning to the 5 empty cups besides him, "My husband went on a long journey to find those tea leaves, they are very special to him."

Sasuke lifted his gaze.

"From where do they come?" he surprisingly answered the old woman's ramblings, knowing he hadn't had a decent conversation with a regular person in quite a long time.

"Right in this village." She said smiling.

"You said your husband traveled on a long journey to find them, and they were right here?" Sasuke was puzzled, but he continued listening.

"Ah, indeed he did my dear. He searched far and wide, but once he returned he realized they had been here all this time. He didn't have to look far at all but it took a journey to discover it." She grinned at him and she began to clean out dishes.

"Hn, seems like a waste of time." Sasuke said smugly, folding his hands under his nose.

"Dearie, all journeys will take time. Sometimes time is the only thing that can open our eyes enough to see what that journey was about. But all journeys will end in the same place,  
_home._" The elderly woman smiled to him brightly.

Her words struck a nerve deep within his being. His whole life for months was teetering on decisions that he just couldn't make.

He admitted he was lost, he wasn't serving a purpose. The fact he was far away in a village where no one knew him, talking with an elderly woman was proof of that fact.

The tiny woman reached into her cupboard and grabbed a small tin, "Here you go, my dear. Have some tea to take with you. My gift to you."

He slightly bowed his head in thanks as he received the tiny steel tin of her most treasured tea leaves.

Sasuke dug into his pocket and placed a pile of money on the counter.

"This should cover my charge, but I must go now."

"Where do you plan to go, boy?" The old woman said to him.

He paused for a moment.

"Home."

* * *

Opening her eyes was like prying open rusty, heavy metal.

Once she realized what happened god-knows-how-long-ago her breathing became quicker. She tried to shoot her entire body up, but failed as she realized she was harnessed to a chair.

Sakura tried to funnel all of her chakra to use her inhuman strength to break the leather straps but nothing happened.

She tried again, focusing harder to control her chakra… She felt the hum of chakra flowing through her body but it wasn't moving.

_Damn it… What's going on!_

Again she tried.

And _again_.

Nothing.

Panic began to set in.

_Why can't I manipulate my chakra? Why isn't it working? I feel so powerless. Come on...come on!_

Her chest began to rise and fall sharply as panic started to crawl its way to her being. She was close to hyperventilation. She didn't know where she was, how long she'd been unconscious, or why her chakra wasn't responding.

This was a shinobi's worst nightmare all combined into one situation.

The door knob turned and in came a group of men, some of them being the ones who had captured her in the TeaHouse.

"She's awake."

Sakura kicked and flailed her entire body, feeling almost helpless without her strength and chakra. Her desperate movement had knocked her over still tied to the chair.

"Tell me where I am! Tell me what's going on!" Sakura shouted angrily.

"You'll find out soon enough, if you'd calm down."

The man paused and looked over to the other men,

"Untie her."

Sakura tried to mellow out her mind.

_Just let them untie you...then get full use of your body._

One of them released her from the harness around the chair.

Seconds later she swung around and landed her fist right into his nose.

_Still no chakra enhancement._..

Sakura knew if she did in fact have her enhanced strength his nose would've crushed beneath her fist with little to no effort.

Two of the men grabbed her arms and legs with all of their strength to hold her back.

"Now, now. Please don't act out, its not going to make your life any easier. " The man in front of her said, before ushering them out of the room.

* * *

**AN:/ I KNOW thats a horrible way to end a chapter, but in order to keep this chapter from being EXTREMELY long (so I could fit in Sasuke's little appearance ;) ) I am going to split it into two chapters, meaning I will update fairly soon after this is posted (next couple days?) Sorry for just cutting it off, but it will pick right back up at the next chapter**

**ALSOOOOO- I'm not going to be super specific with the timeline setting because it's basically AU (just because it doesn't follow the manga, because well...this is fanfiction) after Sasuke talks with Edo Itachi, the scene above I pictured Sasuke fighting with himself whether or not to return to Konoha and has been wondering alone where no one knows him so he can either start over or make his decision, and well... we all know his decision now ;)**

**Thank you for listening to my ramblings and disclaimers and what not xxxxxxxxxxxooxoxoxoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

The is more like a continuation of the last chapter, it would've been way too long for one.

**Also, this is really long, but very dialogue heavy. **

**enjoy ^.^**

* * *

Sakura was taken down what seemed to be a labyrinth of hallways and into what looked close to an interrogation room.

The door creaked open,

"Gorou, we have brought in a new girl." One of the men said that were holding her arms in a death grip.

The man had his back turned in his chair, his voice was gravely and he had tan skin and dark brown hair. He was probably in his late forties.

"Just one, huh?" Gorou said with a displeased tone.

"Yes sir, but I think you will happy with the choice."

Gorou spun around in his chair and eyed Sakura up and down.

"Ah, now that's a color palette you don't see everyday…." The older man folded his hands together and smiled "Nice choice."

Sakura was done with the confusion she had endured the past twenty four hours.

"Will someone please tell me where the HELL I am, and why?" Sakura shouted, extremely agitated.

"Tsssst, fiesty. Well, sweetheart I can't tell you exactly where you are, no one gets to know. It's a secret." Gorou said.

"What?" Sakura was beyond done with guessing games.

"Pull up a chair, sweetheart." Gorou motioned. At his motion the large group of men restraining Sakura sat her down in a chair in front of Gorou's table and retied her.

"What's your name, Cupcake?" Gorou flipped through some papers in front of him.

"Tell me where I am." Sakura said sternly.

Gorou sighed.

"Alright, let's just get it all out there, shall we? As of, hm, what was it boys? Twenty four hours ago? Less? As of then you work for me, more importantly you work for a very unnamed Daimyo of an unnamed nation," he paused for a moment "Make sure those ropes are tight before I continue, boys."

Gorou continued, "This happens to be an underground, extremely well hidden and secret, hm what would you call it? A club, a meeting a place, a high end brothel -"

"BROTHEL?!" Sakura shouted, earning her a heavy slap to the face.

Gorou rolled his eyes, "Call it what you will, it's a diverse establishment. It's also highly illegal everything that usually takes place here, which is why the exact location has never been disclosed. The only ones who know how to get here are Shinobi, Samurai, black ops, ya know- that whole lot. We've had a Kage from far off believe it or not, the corrupt old bastards. Anyways, you were brought here to meet our quota, we were running short on girls after one of them decided to get themselves killed."

Sakura felt a cold sweat gather on her neck.

She clenched her jaw," I don't know what makes you think you can capture just anyone and except them to work in a whorehouse, I'm not some poor civilian." Sakura glared.

"Whorehouse is such a tacky way to put it… But don't worry, cupcake. You will never be found. Heard of a few missing nin that were females over the years? I know it seems cruel now, but most of our girls love the treatment they get, we treat them well to keep their mouths shut." Gorou replied to her.

"You'll do just fine here… In fact you'll probably catch the eye of many with that hair." He smiled.

"Like hell," she spat.

Gorou slammed his fist down,

"Look, we can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. You don't have to be treated well like the other girls, those girls behave themselves, you know why? Because they know who's in charge,"  
He paused briefly,

"Men, take her to see Mebuki, if she starts any trouble make sure I am made aware, then I will take necessary procedures" Gorou glared at Sakura with a burning gaze.

-xxx-

Sakura tried to register her thoughts.

_Okay, okay. Stay calm. Adapt to the situation Sakura!_

_I wish I knew what the hell the situation was…_

_Just go with the flow…if you act up it will only make things harder… You're a good actor Sakura, just gather all the information you can, then escape!_

Sakura worked out a game plan in her head as she was taken into a bedroom.

The room was big and colorful, an older lady, maybe sixty, sat on the bed sewing away at some article of clothing. Her gray hair was held up with chopsticks. Her nails were somewhat long and painted a shiny red.

"Lady Mebuki, we have a new girl. She is a kunoichi." One of the men said, warning the old woman of Sakura's status.

"Well, untie her then. Goodness." Mebuki rolled her eyes at the men.

"Are you positive? She is-"

"Now, please." Mebuki cut him off, not bothering to look up from her needlework.

The men did she said and stood attentively, as if waiting for Sakura to pounce.

"You may leave." Mebuki said, and the group of men left.

Sakura stood awkwardly with her hands behind her back.

A Shinobi must adapt to their current situation in order to find a solution… A way out. *

"What's your name, sweetie?" The woman greeted her with a smile.

"Uh, it's Haruno Sakura." She said, awkwardly.

"Sakura, eh? How befitting to such beautiful hair. How old are you?"

"I'm 17."

"Young one. Sadly, not the youngest I've ever seen come in this place. Why don't you sit down" Mebuki motioned for her to sit down on the love seat across from her.

"Now, Sakura. You can think of me like an auntie, or maybe even a grandmother. I stay here to help the girls, make sure they look nice, and everything in between. I am sorry, though. If you don't want to be here. But I believe you will be just fine."

Mebuki smiled, the old woman seemed like she had a seen a lot in her day.

Sakura just couldn't understand why she was okay with grooming up a bunch of prostitutes. Perhaps she got paid? Maybe she was one herself long ago. There was no way to really know.

"You'll get to meet some of the other girls soon."

Sakura stayed quiet.

"Why don't I show to your room, it's probably been a long day. Tomorrow I can get a good look at you and get to work."  
Mebuki smiled.

Sakura gulped.

"This way dear, your room is down this hall, in number 3."  
Mebuki opened the door and stuck her head in.

"Kiko? This is Sakura, she's going to be your new roommate. She's brand new. Good night, now." Mebuki smiled and shut the door lightly.

Kiko was a beautiful girl, sitting on her bed with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her hair was a lengthy light brown, paired with blue eyes that reminded her of Ino.

_Ino… I wish she was with me, for once. That's saying a lot. _

"Hi, I'm Kiko." The girl smiled. She reminded Sakura somewhat of Hinata, as quiet as she was so far.

"I'm Sakura, nice to meet you."  
Sakura sat down on the empty twin bed across from Kiko's.

The room wasn't very big, it had soft carpet and two twin sized beds. Some other accommodations. No windows.

_Underground…_

"You must be a kunoichi." Kiko said.

"Huh? Oh… Yes. How did you know?" Sakura replied, a little surprised.

Kiko pointed to a bandaid on Sakura's forearm, "because of that."

Sakura looked down at her forearm, a small bandaid was on it. She pressed down on it and fell something hard.

"W-what is this…." Sakura said, trying now to sound so nervous.

"It's a chakra-surprising chip. They implant it in your arm while you're knocked out. They do it to all the female ninja they capture." Kiko said, looking down.

_Chakra-suppressing….. That explains why I couldn't do anything earlier…_

_This isn't good._

Sakura felt suddenly sick. Her face grew pale and her lips turned down into a frown.

"So… What's the real deal about this place, can you tell me?" Sakura said pulling her knees to her chest.

Kiko nodded.

"This place doesn't have a name but a lot of Shinobi know about it, but they aren't suppose to. This isn't just some brothel or club I suppose. A lot of S-class criminals meet up in here to do their dirty work, make deals, all that jazz. It makes this place that much more dangerous and illegal."

"Who runs this place?" Sakura asked.

"We don't know his name but its the Daimyo of a nearby nation… He uses it solely to make profit, I wish word would get out of what he's doing, I'm sure another village would have stepped in by now. The girls, we don't really even make the money. We're just pawns. Rumor has it, the Daimyo's samurai had to take an oath if they want access to this place. Anyways… They make him a lot of money, the guys who pass through here usually have a chunk of change…. Like those black cloak guys?"

"Akatsuki?…" Sakura said slowly, piecing together the information.

"Yeah, I think. A few of them have been in here in the past. The men who work here for the Daimyo get a cut of the pay to keep quiet." Kiko kept on explaining.

"So you have no idea where we are…" Sakura said.

"No one really does. Some say its somewhere in the Land of Waves, other say Land of Iron… Lightning… You name it. It's all just guesses." Kiko frowned.

Sakura sighed and plopped down her pillow feeling sick to her stomach, like she would wake up from this bizarre dream in an inn with a hot spring.

How would she explain this to Lady Tsunade?

_I ordered green tea laced with a heavy drug, because that's just my luck._

_What if they never find out I was captured…_

_What then?_

Her eyes stung, brimming with tears. Not of sadness, but of anger towards herself for getting put in this situation.

_Damn it, don't cry!_

_How the hell did I end up here? A simple mission…. Gone wrong. All you had to do was deliver scrolls and gather tea, Sakura!_

_I'm tired of being the Damsel._

_I'm not going to be the Damsel._

_Shinobi endure._

_They found a way out._

* * *

**_AN: _****Woooooooo, now you see why I cut off the last chapter so randomly,**

**So now you know where Sakura's been taken! *dramatic gasps* **

**I know this may seem very Sakura centered at the moment, but I'm all about that plot development, stay strong shippers I believe in you.**

**If you'd like leave a review, or comment, see you in the SasuSaku tag my luvs**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five:

_The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials._

* * *

"Psst….Pinkie. Wake up." Kiko sat on Sakura's bed and poked her in the arm.

She sat up.

_So it wasn't just a dream, I'm still here._

"I have to take you to Mebuki, to go through a sort of inspection all the new girls get." Kiko said calmly.

Sakura groaned and followed Kiko back into the old woman's lavish, colorful room.

"Ah, come in Sakura. Time to have a look at you."  
Mebuki greeted her with a smile.

_Go along with it, the second you get a chance, find a way out._

"Well, you certainly can't wear your ninja clothing. Just get in your undergarments so I can measure you." Mebuki said grabbing up a basket with measuring tape and supplies.

Sakura sighed, and shimmied off her skirt and and red shirt. Left in her black boy shorts and fishnet tank top.

"Lose the mesh top, you can put it back on when I'm done measuring."

Sakura grunted and complied, left only sporting a black bra and shorts.

Mebuki strung the tape around her waist,

"Slim, not surprising," she put the tape around her backside, "but at least you have some curves despite your skinniness, expected from a kunoichi."

Mebuki continued measuring her,  
"Hm, would you look at that, at least your chest is fuller than it appeared." Mebuki teased lightly.

Sakura's cheeks burned.

"Don't be embarrassed girl, you've got a better figure than I thought, a bit on the slim side but that can change."

Mebuki titled Sakura's chin and inspected her face and neck.

"Nice bone structure too. Alright, all done cupcake. Sit down, and I will find you some clothes."

Sakura slipped her mesh tank top back on and sat down awkwardly.

Mebuki tossed her a short black skirt.

"You can wear this, you don't need much, you're hair and eyes already draw enough attention to you."

Sakura did as she was told and put on the tight thigh exposing skirt.

_This barely counts as a skirt…_

"Alrighty, go eat something. You will meet some of the other girls. Then, you'll go with everyone to the salon room. That's where they get you all ready for work." Mebuki said stitching fabric.

Sakura wondered down the hall, making note of every twist and turn, every door, every path. Burning it into her memory.

When she heard the sound of voices she realized she must be getting close to the where she could eat.

Slowly, she walked into a big room that looked like a bar, or ritzy casino. There were stacked chairs and big tables everywhere. A bunch of girls were sitting at the tables eating.

Sakura slowly walked in.

"Foods over there." A large guy was standing in the doorway, watching everyone.

Sakura sat down quietly at one of the tables and grabbed a plate.

Gorou wasn't lying when he said the girls were treated well so they wouldn't try to leave. The food was surprisingly very delicious, and tea pots, and desserts were sitting over the tables.

Sakura eyed the room over. This was probably turned into the bar area at night.  
Probably also a dining lounge judging by the tables.

She heard the girls near her whispering.

One of them with blonde hair spoke up,  
"Hey, who are you? New girl?"

Sakura nodded.

Some of them scowled, some of them just went back to eating, some of them just stared.

"Did they dye your hair that color?" Another girl said.

"No… It's natural." Sakura sipped her tea, awkwardly.

After a few minutes most of the girls had left, Sakura waited so she could trail  
behind and get more information of the layout of the place.  
She was told that after eating she needed to go to the salon room with everyone else.

Sakura heard girls talking on the other side of an open doorway, slowly she crept up to listen before she entered.

"Just what we need, another new girl. Especially a trophy girl."

"Yeah you're telling me, there's no way that hair is real."

A few of them giggled.

"I heard she's a ninja though."

"Oh please, she must not be very good if she got her ass into this place."

_Ouch._

"Maybe she came on purpose."

"Who knows these days."

Sakura swallowed and walked into the Salon room. A wave of hairspray hit her and she had to restrain from coughing.  
It was loud with the sound of hair dryers and hot and sticky because of the beauty products being sprayed every which way.  
The vanity mirrors burned the room with a bright intense light.

"Ah, you are one of the new girls. Go sit down in the chair, and we will get you ready in a moment." One of the women said walking past her in a hurry.

Sakura sat down in the vanity chair and held her sweaty hands together.

_It's going to be a long night._

-xxx-

* * *

He wasn't sure exactly how we was going to go about this.

Waltzing casually into the village probably wasn't going to be a great idea.

After all of his internal fighting, he had finally come to a revelation, a decision to return to Konoha.

Through all of his decision making, he hadn't really planned how he would actually do it.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and sat perched in a tree.

He could see it. He could see the village.

Sasuke's stomach felt uneasy being so close, he wasn't sure how he people would react, or if he would live walking two feet past the gates.

He took a big breath and leapt down in front of the gates.

Slowly, he walked forward into the village.

The ANBU on their posts guarding the gates snapped to attention.

Sasuke froze.

"Stop!"

"Is that…"

"That's Uchiha Sasuke."

Sasuke didn't move a muscle, slowly he put his hands up as a sign of surrender.

"Restrain him, and take him to the Hokage. Immediately."

* * *

**AN:/ Chapter five is FINALLY up, I'm so sorry for taking so long, but the good news is I'm one a short break and that means I may update twice in one day to make up for it. **

***Pops champagne bottles***


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six:

_The bamboo survives by bending in the wind, and adapting to it. _

* * *

The ANBU surrounded the dark haired ninja as they escorted him nervously.

"We can't let him draw any attention to himself, you know if Uzumaki hears he is back shit will hit the fan." One of the squad members whispered.

"At least he's going cooperatively."  
The other replied.

"Let's take him into custody first, before the entire village knows and things get passed through the grape vine."

"Right, chakra shackles and a cell it is. Until the Hokage can deal with this herself. See if he's still casually cooperative after a couple of nights locked up."

Sasuke took a deep breath.

_It's going to be a long night.._

* * *

"What a gorgeous complexion! You know the samurai love the fair skinned girls like you. They bring the money." The older woman whispering slightly.

Sakura held back a gag.

"And such beautiful hair, you don't even need styling."

Another woman grabbed her hand and started painting her nails red.

Sakura felt like she was being poked and prodded from every direction.

"I'm going to make these gorgeous eyes even more alluring. You'll have more power than those genjutsu casting bastards."

Sakura tried not to roll her eyes.

The woman covered Sakura's eye lashes in a thick black mascara making her lashes even darker and longer than before. She tried not to blink or fidget.  
Next, she lined Sakura's upper lash line with a dark black liquid, flicking out the ends to a sharp, cat like point.

"Stop blinking, girl! You're messing up my progress."

The woman dusted a shimmery dust on her cheeks and arms, putting the finishing touches on.  
Lastly, Sakura's lips got colored in a dark pink color.

"All done, honey."

Sakura stood up and walked to the large mirror surrounded by other girls.

She peeked at herself and took a step back.

_Wow, I look….. Different._

She gulped.

"Out of the way. I'm trying to put on my false eyelashes." A girl said bumping Sakura out of the way.

"I hope she's not working the Black Room tonight, or none of us will get business."  
Another girl said respraying her curled black hair.

"Haruno Sakura."  
A man's voice boomed from the doorway.

She heard her name and walked towards him.

"Message from Gorou, he says since its your first night. You're working at the bar in the Black Room. Don't do anything stupid, since you have it easy the next couple of nights. Just pour the drinks and look pretty." He said.

Sakura nodded, relief melting over body.

_He must be one of the guards…_

"Hey Sakura! I hear you're serving at the bar tonight, I'll take you there." Kiko said coming up behind her.

Kiko took Sakura to what was known as the Black Room. It was dark, the carpet was black, the walls were black, and colored lights illuminated every inch of the room.

"This is the Black Room, the most sinful part of this underground hell. Prepare to serve sake to S-Class criminal jerks. Just be thankful you won't be screwing said S-Class criminals, like the ladies who work over in the other part of the Black Room."

Kiko gritted her teeth. Her shy personality gone, replaced with an fiery attitude.

"See, you'll probably be with them over there sooner or later," Kiko pointed to a glass wall, on the other side was pillows and seats.

"That's where the girls stay, it's like window shopping for the guys who come here. Sick, I know." Kiko said "But you will be okay serving drinks for a while."

And so the night began.

-xxx-

The night went on, it was incredibly loud, and dark. Not to mention, the colored lights were blinding.

Sakura's true acting skills had just come into play.

"More to drink?" She smiled, walking past a group of hunter nin.

They all nodded, and she bent over to pour out the sake bottle.

Suddenly, a hand smacked right into her backside. If she had her chakra fully, she would've crushed the bottle in her hands.

She turned around and glared at the lecherous shinobi sitting just behind her.

Sakura composed herself to walk away, and right as she took a step he grasped a handful of her skirt and pulled her back.

_Don't….. Snap…._

"Do you need something….." She said gritting through her teeth.

"I need…. For you to keep me company, can you do that?" He said, slurring his words.

She turned around and he tugged her back more violently this time.

Exhaling, she bent down and put her hand on his leg, and reached into his pocket.

Swiftly she pulled out a kunai and drove it into the table right next to his hand.

Slowly, she whispered into his ear "If you ever put a hand on me again, I will shred every nerve ending in your hand with your own kunai."She smiled and walked away to get more drinks.

_God, what pigs. I just have to keep my cool...acting Sakura, acting!_

Sakura paced through the room with a bottle and cups, trying to survey the scene of the place, it was difficult with the lights and loudness.

Refilling yet another glass, Sakura heard a girls voice not too far from her.

"H-hey, let go of me! I'm just serving drinks. The call girls are over there."

Sakura snapped her head around to see what was happening, a young girl, maybe around her age, was being harnessed by another jerk hunter nin. It appeared a rowdy group had shown up.

Sakura's instinct set in and she approached the two.

"Hey, get off of her, she's just serving." Sakura said grabbing the small girls wrist.

The man ignored her and grabbed the girls arm and pulled her back.

"I said get off of her!" Sakura shoved into his side and pulled the girl out of the way.

The hunter nin swung at her and she dodged it grabbing his arm and forcing him backwards to topple onto a table, and breaking a few glasses.

_Oops.._

"Haruno!" One of the guards shouted to her, and yanked her away from the broken glass and toppled tables.

"You couldn't just behave one night!"  
He grunted walking her down the hallway clutching her arm.

The guard swung Gorou's door open.

Gorou looked up and sighed.

"Sir, she was getting violent."

"I would be more angry if sales in drinks hadn't doubled since you got here, but since you like to be violent you can sit in here in timeout." Gorou didn't even look up, he just looked down at some paper work.

"But you will serve drinks again for a while, so I can see if you can act properly." He sighed heavily.

Sakura folded her arms.

"Get comfortable, you'll be here a while."

* * *

Two days, and two nights had passed.

No more incidents like the first night had happened to Sakura, thankfully.

It was very late at night.

Kiko and Sakura had just returned to their room. Sakura couldn't sleep, she was feeling uneasy. It was sickening not being able to open a window, to feel the wind outside, to see the sun. Being underground made her panic. On top of that, she missed Konoha, plain and simple.

"You seem upset, Sakura." Kiko frowned.

"I just miss home.." Sakura said honestly.

Kiko went and sat on Sakura's bed. Kiko once being a new girl herself, knew the emotional toll it could take. She did her best to help her stay calm, as a lot of people had anxiety attacks.

"Why don't you tell me about your home, Sakura." Kiko smiled warmly to her.

Sakura grinned, "Its wonderful." She went on to tell Kiko all about how the weather was perfect, about the academy and Team 7, about the ramen stand, and about how sometimes she sits in her windowsill and watches the sunset, and how she misses being able to do that.

"Do you have someone back home?" Kiko asked.

"What do you mean?" Sakura answered.

"Ya know… Someone, someone special. That sure would make being here harder…" Kiko said, frowning.

_If only it were that easy…_

"Oh…no. Not really."

"You don't? You're so pretty, I thought you might."

Sakura's stomach felt queazy as her mind wandered.

"I miss my team mates. My family. My teacher. I just wonder if they miss me" Sakura said.

"Well I bet they all miss you, and I bet someone out there is thinking of you too."

Sakura seemed to calm down with Kiko talking to her.

Kiko went back over to her side of the room.

"Goodnight, Sakura." She said.

"Goodnight Kiko."

Sakura shut her eyes and thought of everyone at home again, and she felt her eyes sting again.

_Goodnight, mother and father._

_Goodnight, Naruto._

_Goodnight, Sai._

_Goodnight, Kakashi- sensei._

She squeezed her eyes shut even tighter to prevent getting all choked up.

_And wherever you are, good night Sasuke-kun._

* * *

**_An:/_**** What is a SasuSaku fic without feisty Sakura?Anyways- Two updates in a row, dun dun dunnnnn. I'm updating now because I have a busy weekend ahead, and I wanted to have it up just in case I never got around to it. Enjoy, review, all that jazz if you feel like. PS- Still looking if someone is interesting in creating a coverart for this story , submit to me on Tumblr! Thanks shippas. **

**Also, Happy Birthday Naruto! Couldn't do it without ya. **


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven:

_The reputation of a thousand years may be determined by the conduct of one hour. -Japanese proverb _

* * *

Tsunade was head high in paperwork, and was seriously trying to drown her stress with sake.

The light haired woman stared down at Tonton "I don't know if I can handle anymore problems."

She exhaled heavily as she looked at her map and sketched every possible route her apprentice, Haruno Sakura, could've taken on her mission to the Land of Tea.

"It's just taking so long, this isn't like her." Tsunade groaned and slapped her pen down with another heavy sigh.

A knock at her office door alarmed her, "Is this urgent? I'm very busy!"

"Yes, my lady. It's extremely urgent…" Sounded the voice of one ANBU squad member outside the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, showing none other than Uchiha Sasuke in the hands of an entire ANBU team.

"We have Uchiha Sasuke in our custody, my lady."

Her jaw dropped slightly.

_Just what I needed today… A runaway criminal teenage Uchiha._

"Enter… Make sure those doors stay guarded." She replied slowly.

The dark haired boy was seated in front of her desk, shackled at the wrists and with two ANBU at his sides.

Tsunade rubbed her temples to prepare for the miles of paperwork and legal matters that would now probably fill up her desk indefinitely.

"Do you have something to say, boy? Did you come here of your own accord?" She asked.

"I did." He replied shortly.

"Without a fight? Why?" She leaned forward, glaring at him.

"I was ready to return to Konoha."

Tsunade folded her hands together and gave him a suspicious look.

"Tell me why I shouldn't throw your S-class offending, punk ass into prison right now?"

Tsunade simply wasn't in the mood to deal with this unexpected event at the moment.

Sasuke tried not to roll his eyes but simply said "because, I have information on this village….regarding my clan's massacre."

Now that was a curve ball Tsunade didn't expect to hear.

The Hokage straightened up, "Go on…"

The young Uchiha hesitated at first, but carefully relayed every detail he had been given about the truth of his clan's massacre, the truth about Itachi and the council. Everything.

It was uncomfortable saying it all out loud, but he knew he had to do it. There were too many lies twisted into the truth of Konoha history and they had to be cleaned.

After he finished explaining every dirty detail to Tsunade, she sat back in her chair.

"…damn." She exhaled rubbing her head.

_What am I going to do with him?_

"I'll have to figure the proper punishment for you, as for everything you told me… I assure you that it will be dealt with, justly. I believe your family's name is owed that."  
Tsunade said assuringly, wanting desperately to reach for her bottle of sake.

Before she could even form her next plan of action, Shizune busted through her doors in a frenzied panic. The ANBU, the Uchiha, and the Hokage all jumped at her dramatic entrance.

"I'm so sorry to intrude, my lady… B-but it's about Sakura!" Shizune said trying to catch her breath.

Sasuke stiffened uncomfortably.

Tsunade's eyes widened.

"We got in touch with the Land of Tea, they've seen no sign of Sakura-" Shizune said breathing heavily.

"She should have been there by now! What else?" The Hokage asked quickly.

"We sent out a few hawks for an Ariel view and none of them have seen her, sources have told us that the last place someone saw a pink haired girl was in a tea house a day or so away."

"After that? Absolutely no sign?" Tsunade didn't like how this was going. How could her apprentice have been wiped off the map so easily?

Shizune tried to whisper, "What are we going to do my lady? She needs to be found!" She wrung her hands together pacing around the office.

"Shizune, while I decide a plan dispatch Kakashi's dogs just to double check that her scent has vanished."

Shizune nodded and quickly left the room.

It was awkwardly silent for a moment. The ANBU stood stiffly behind an equally stiff Sasuke, who could feel some kind of nervous sweat on his brow.

"Damn it, Sakura." Tsunade said out loud, clinching her fist in frustration.

"Uchiha, you returned at a bad time. I don't know if I can deal with you and my apprentice going missing in the same day. You may need to just go back to custody while I work things out." The blonde haired woman said, slightly exasperated.

"Wait." Sasuke said, tensing up again.

Tsunade raised a brow.

"I may know what happened to Sakura…" He said slowly.

"What?! Why would you? Spill it, kid!" Tsunade said sternly.

"It's only a guess. She said the last place she was seen was a Tea house…"

Sasuke had no idea why he was speaking up, maybe it was to avoid getting locked up again, he refused to believe it was because he was… _worried._

Sasuke brought up a time he was traveling with Suigetsu before he went off on his own, the story containing specific details that may lead to finding Sakura.

_-Flashback-_

_Suigetsu propped his feet up on the table._

_"Ah, come on Sasuke. Live it a little. Think of this like our last hoorah."_

_Sasuke rolled his eyes. Suigetsu had dragged him to some flashy, underground establishment. Apparently it was a well guarded secret only known to mostly criminals, shinobi, samurai, and the like. _  
_It was way too dark, and loud, and half dressed women were trying to pour him drinks. He'd spent enough time with the Sound underground to like this place._

_Suigetsu took a sip from his glass._

_"Ya know, Sauce. Think of this like a departing gift, now you know where this place is so you can come whenever ya need too."_

_"Hn."_

_Suigetsu elbowed him in the side and grinned, "Ah come on, loosen up. I'll pay for a prostitute for ya, on me."_

_Sasuke shrugged him off, "So this is a brothel."_

_"Eh, more or less," Suigetsu flagged down another girl for sake, "but since this is top secret a lot of the girls are kidnapped. At least rumor has it."_

_"Kidnapped?" Sasuke furrowed his brows._

_"Yeah, snatched up at inns, Tea houses mostly. Then most of em are never seen again, well unless you know the right people and get down here." Suigetsu grinned slyly, his cheeks beginning to become pink tinted from his sake intake._

_Sasuke was disgusted. He had no idea why he had let Suigetsu drag him down here in the first place._

_"Sasuke, gettin' laid might do ya some good. Make ya less tense. I won't tell anyone if ya get a girl." Suigetsu was unsteadily twirling his cup around._

_"Suigetsu, shut up." Sasuke rolled his eyes and slumped back in his chair._

_"You'll thank me one day, Saucy. Don't forget where this gem is when we go our separate ways. You may need it!" Suigetsu said before slumping down into a snooze on the table._

-xxx-

Sasuke finished telling the story about the place he and Suigetsu had visited during his travels.

"How tasteful." Tsunade said, clearly annoyed with the current events of today.

Tsunade had some important decisions to make.

"Uchiha, I am about to be extremely irrational, and do something extremely risky and if you make me regret it…. So help me damn it…"

"I'm assigning you to a mission."

The ANBU guards looked at each other, and Sasuke's eyes snapped forward.

"You're the only who knows where this place is… And if Sakura is there… I need her brought back unharmed."

"Lady Hokage…" One of the ANBU guards spoke up.

"Don't question me, I know what I'm doing. Uchiha Sasuke, you've been assigned to locate and retrieve Haruno Sakura. I'm putting my trust in you to leave this village and to rescue not only my apprentice but your former teammate, if you somehow betray my trust…"

Tsunade paused, making sure she looked him dead in the eyes.

"You will not welcome back into this village."

* * *

**AN:/ Yay for long chapters! And its 100% Sasuke and Tsunade. I love Tsunade's character so it's always fun to write dialogue through her! Anyways, anyone suprised or happy or relieved by the turn of events? Good timing for everyone to be in the same room ;) **

**Review and let me know what you think so far, thank you to EVERYONE who has reviewd from FF and from tumblr, you guys are the sweetest and I love you ^-^**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight:

_I find the map and draw a straight line_

_Over rivers, farms, and state lines_

_The distance from here to where you'd be_

_It's only finger-lengths that I see._

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke sat awkwardly in the custody of four ANBU ninja, awaiting further and final instructions from the Hokage.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, a very nervous Shizune paced back and forth.

"Are you sure about this my lady?… Do you want an ANBU team to accompany him?"

"No, that won't be necessary. I know what I'm doing… This will be the only way to prove whether or not he should be given mercy as a missing nin, and let back into the village…call this a second chance, if you will. He _is_ just seventeen years old." Tsunade stared down at her desk.

_That, and he may be the only one able to find Sakura…_

Tsunade entered the room where the Uchiha was quietly being held.

"It's a damn good thing no one knows you're here yet." Tsunade tried to ease the awkward tension in the room.

"Anyways… I'm just here to inform you of a few things. You will need to be undercover when you go in. But not under a transformation, I want you to have all of your chakra, just in case. Wear a hooded cloak, something like that." Tsunade paused trying to think if she had forgotten something.

"Oh, right. You'll get that sword back just for this mission. And no chakra shackles, it's your pardon Uchiha, do not make me regret it." The older blonde woman said sternly as she glared.

"You will be leaving, alone. In the middle of the night, to assure no one sees you. Ill inform the guards about the situation.  
I'm counting on you." Tsunade said finally, and left the room.

The Uchiha boy was escorted back into the single cell where he had been waiting to speak to the Hokage. In the cell sat a full meal, his sword and belongings, and some extra gear.

Sasuke sat down and anxiously awaited his departure; his stomach twisting and turning.

_I could leave the gates, and never come back. I could leave a free man…_

He shook the idea out of his head, but internally he was still fighting it. The option of going far, far away and totally creating a new life away from his past ties was possible. He could leave unscathed, and no one would know.

Sasuke went through his thigh holster to make sure everything was there when a bag fell out.

It was tea leaves.

The tea leaves the old woman gave to him, the same ones in her story she told him that in the long run, helped him make his decision to return to Konoha.

He held the bag in his hands and almost felt guilty for thinking about betraying the Hokage, and Konoha once again. Sasuke let out a deep sigh.

_"He looked all over the world, but what he was searching for was right here, in this village. Home."_

Sasuke stood up and strapped his katana back around his waist.

"Uchiha Sasuke" an ANBU said with the sound of a key clicking in a lock.

"It's time for you to go."

With that, Sasuke put the tea back into his holster and pulled a black hood over his head.

* * *

"Ah, this is the best shower I've ever been in." Sakura said to herself, sighing with content as she stood under a waterfall of warmth.

The showers were all in one big shower house, or in this case, a big room. It was an immense space with around a dozen spacious shower stalls. The tiles and walls were a shiny rosy champagne color. Each shower had an assortment of shampoos, conditioners, oils, body wash, body scrub and face wash.  
Outside of the showers was a large wall with a long mirror covering much of it, like a bathroom. The counter in front of it littered with makeup, hair products, and left behind also included an area with many different lotions, face masks, and beauty products. It all looked so luxurious in Sakura's eyes and was probably like any girls dream spa.

Sakura scrubbed the makeup and body shimmer as it melted from her body. Aromas filled the steamy space as she tested out every body wash.

_This may be a bad situation I'm in… But I'm not gonna let these showers pass me up. No complaints here on this department..._

She smirked to herself.

Just as she went to to turn of the water, the sound of a conversation coming from the mirrors got her attention.

"What do you think? Do you like her?"

"Not particularly… No. I mean, pink hair really? I thought men liked natural beauty, the second she joins the call girls we are screwed."

One of the girls snorted.

"Yeah right. Hopefully word will get around that she's a kunoichi, men don't want someone who will put up a fight. Plus, regular ladies like us do just fine in this look more innocent, more inviting, you know..."

"Oh, please. You're just mad because she's young and fresh and exotic and all that new girl shit."

"She's an attention seeker."

Sakura angrily cranked the water to a halt. Snatching a towel off the outside of the stall she stepped out. She shoved her way to the front of the mirror and all of the women froze in shock. The pink haired girl grabbed a bottle of lotion, and sneered.

"By the way, it's natural."

* * *

"I'm going to find a way to escape, and when I do, you should come." Sakura said poking at her rice.

"Ssshhh! Don't say that too loud." Kiko said as her eyes widened in panic.  
"Plus, I-I don't know if I would go. The food… The showers… Everything here is so much better than where I'm from."

"You can't be serious, you were forced into prostitution, you can't tell me you're okay with that!" Sakura almost yelled.

A few girls turned to look at her.

Kiko tried to get her to lower her voice, "Its not as awful as it sounds! In exchange I get everything I never had in my village, I was poor. Here, I get luxurious food, I get pampered, I have a place to sleep that's comfortable…. I can look past the other… Obligations."

"You've really been brainwashed haven't you? You are a slave **, Kiko. We all are, pretty much! Don't you see that? This is illegal, and heinous, and disgusting. I can help you escape and get this Daimyo's undercover ass kicked."

Sakura knew she was talking rather loudly, but her heart broke for these girls. How could they be okay with this? It was just a tactic to get them to stay, they were utterly brainwashed.

Then, Sakura remembed how she'd felt so excited to just get to go into the shower house, how she'd felt like she'd enter some expensive spa a princess or some rich maiden would get to use. For a moment, it made her rationalize her bad experience, and it made her look on the bright side, and now she could see how this could take a long term effect on most of the girls. It was a sick, twisted trap. A shiny fishing lure. An illusion.

"You shouldn't have to sell your body for food and treatment! That is not okay, don't let anyone tell you that." Sakura said, steaming. All the while, Kiko remained silent and twiddled her thumbs awkwardly.

"Hey!" One of the guards snapped at Sakura. "You won't be speaking such things here."

In response, the pink haired firecracker rolled her eyes so far he probably saw her brain. The guard wasn't amused.

"Gorou will hear about this, you brat!" The guard snapped.

"I will walk to his office myself, pig." Sakura let the words roll of her tongue, as she stood up and strode past him gracefully.

Her little display had gotten her a hand into the back of the neck, steering her right down the maze of halls to Gorou.  
The bulky guard shoved Sakura through the office door.

"You again, is it?" Gorou didn't bother looking up from his papers.

"Sir, she was planning an escape at lunch, trying to turn the girls against you, raising some kind of revolt."

"That is NOT true!" She spat.

"How rebellious. I warned you, cupcake. She can spend the night handcuffed alone, with no dinner. Oh, and if you hit her try not make a big mark she will start working in the Black Room after she's out of… time out" Gorou motioned for them to leave his office.

And that's exactly what happened.

Sakura spent the night uncomfortably handcuffed to a table in a dark room, with a busted lip and rumbling stomach.

The last thing the guard said before locking her up alone for the night was,

"I would quit thinking about escape, no one ever leaves. No one will ever find you, it's over."

* * *

**AN:/ Hello my dear shippers, I'm sorry this took a little bit longer than usual. October has been a busy month, but I got two chapters written at once so expect the next chapter up soon ;)**

**Also, please continue to give me feedback on the story! It is so appreciated, I LOVE reading reviews.**

**Plus even better, Sasuke is that much closer to leaving, what will happen? Dun dun dun.**

**Love you guys! Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine:

_Raise your sail one foot, and you get ten feet of wind. - Chinese Proverb_

* * *

Naruto had always been the kind of guy to feel ominous signs, or to know when something wasn't right. Maybe that's why he woke up at roughly 1 am. Something was bothering him and he didn't know what. But he knew he had to find out.

Donning his sleep clothes, hat and all, he jumped from roof top to roof top.  
Trying to clear his head so maybe he could sleep.

_If I can't sleep, at least I'm getting exercise…. Hehe._

The blonde haired ninja stopped above the Konoha gates taking in the view of sleepy, nighttime version of the village.

"Man, it's so still. Not even a breeze…huh."

He leaned an ear down close to the ANBU guards who were obviously chatting away by the gates.

"I can't believe he came back."

"Really? Because I can't believe she would let the Uchiha traitor back OUT once we finally get him back ya know?"

Naruto became unsteady on the tree and fell right down in front of them,  
"Who are you talking about! You just said Uchiha! He was here?!"

"Woah, kid! What are you doing here? Do you know what time it is!"

"He's gone?! What do you mean she let him out of the village, what's going on! I'm going after him!" Naruto was absolutely frenzied and frantic trying to speak a thousand words a second and trying to push his way past the guards.  
He let the opportunity of getting Sasuke back into the village slip out of his grasp, like smoke through his fingers, again. Again.  
He was furiously upset. Not to mention, he was confused as hell.

_Was he here? Did he come by choice?_

How could Sasuke have returned without me knowing, and why would he just leave again?

_I need answers!I know there was a reason I couldn't sleep!_

"Knock him out or something, damn!"

"SASUKE!"

Naruto had no idea what the hell on earth was currently happening at 1:15 am as he wrestled to get past the gates before he lost consciousness.

Hopefully, he would wake up and think it was all a dream.

* * *

Sasuke stopped to rest and set up camp. He took out a whetstone and began to slowly run along the edge of his blade.  
His sword would be his only companion on this mission, until and if he found Sakura… Leaving him to only his thoughts.

Uchiha Sasuke was used to being alone, he was Uchiha Sasuke.

First, he was Uchiha Sasuke the teammate.

Then, Uchiha Sasuke the avenger.

Also, Uchiha Sasuke the traitor, criminal, missing nin, horrible friend, and ex team mate.

But he didn't know exactly where to place his identity at this current moment in time.

Was he Uchiha Sasuke, the pardoned? The second chance? The stranger?

He was on a mission, per say. A mission of vindication. To redeem his mistakes, and gain favor in the Hokage's eyes by rescuing her beloved student. That was it right?

Sasuke got uncomfortable just thinking about her reaction to her former teammate coming to save her clumsy ass.

The last time he saw her face to face his hand was around her throat and her poison kunai was aimed at his back.

Who was she know anyways? He'd be damned if he knew, or even wanted to find out.

They were like strangers again.

_I'm only doing this for me… To gain respect and trust again. To be able to go back to the village…_

But all the while, a small voice in the back of his mind kept saying "Is that all? Really? You sure it's not because you want Sakura to be found alive just as much as Tsunade?"

The inner consciousness speaking those subtle lines really irritated the dark haired boy.

"That whole selfishness facade is wearing thin…"

_No, I'm not doing this because I care, I'm doing this because I have to. It's for me! She is just my ticket to the village._

The Uchiha cursed himself, because as much as fought himself on the matter, he knew it wasn't entirely about him.

It never was.

* * *

"You look like shit, honey." The old woman said wiping a wet cloth over Sakura's dull face.

The bags under her eyes looked like shadows, and her lip was bruised and plump. The entire night Sakura was handcuffed, they had managed to handcuff her in a way that it would be impossible to sleep comfortably, so she hadn't. At all. The only thing Sakura did was think. Think and try to devise a way out, any kind of method to reach above ground. Although, her methods were not very efficient with a tired brain.

Mebuki tried to make Sakura look brighter, and more awake with a face cream, while shoving a mug of tea in her hand.

"Drink up, you could use caffeine. I guess we should have warned you about mouthing off and things, it will get you in trouble."

Sakura's eyes shifted under her droopy eyelids as she tried to stay awake in front of the zealous old woman. She took Sakura's hand and reapplied shiny red nail polish to her fingers, sprucing her back up after her dreadful night in isolation. "Ah! Oh yes. I almost forgot..." Mebuki reached down into her bag beside her and handed Sakura a pill.

"What's this? Pain reliever?" Sakura said tiredly, praying that it was.

"Oh, no my dear... It's a birth control pill."

Sakura stiffened and handed the pill back to Mebuki and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, but you have to take one every day...since you're going to start working with the other girls in the Black Room." The old woman tried to give her an easing smile.

_Of course it makes sense, they wouldn't any babies accidentally appearing. A pregnant woman would do them no good. _

_I have to get out of here._

_Remember Sakura...just go along with it!_

Sakura reluctantly swallowed the pill and looked down.

"Good girl, just come to me everyday and make sure you get it. It's very important... I know this is all very scary to you but I promise we will make sure nothing happens to you! You will be just fine! You'll be a regular at this in no time." The old woman's wrinkled face revealed a big toothy grin as she patted Sakura reassuringly on the knee.

"Can't...Can't I just serve and host for a little while longer?" The reality was drawing closer and closer to Sakura that she would literally have to be presented at an underground club as a _prostitute. _She thought she could drag this out by being occupied with other things but that was not the case anymore.

"It's not my choice, honey! I will say though, the boss was getting lots of feedback from the guests who said you were appealing, the pink hair and green eye thing, ya know? They think you will be making them quite a bit of money. But not to worry, my dear, the other ladies will explain to you all you need to know before you start tomorrow!" Mebuki said.

"T-tomorrow?" Sakura said, stuttering. Exhaustion was taking its toll on her mind and making her emotions less stable.

_What if I never leave..._

_Damn it, what the hell have I done.._

"Cheer up, honey! You may meet someone you like!" The old woman said gleefully, and left Sakura alone in the room.

A few tears slipped out of her sleepy eyes.

And she fell asleep.

* * *

**AN:/ How is this already at NINE chapters? even weirder...I almost have 30 follows? On my first multichap, I'm crying tears of joy. **

**Thanks again for reviews, keep reviewing, let me know your opinions on the story, the characters and all that!**

**Who's ready for Sasuke and Sakura to actually INTERACT, I know it's been like nine chapters already but**

**hey I'm all about that plot development ;)**

**Get excited, soon...sooooooon. **

**Love you, happy sailing. **

**(Does anyone actually read this author's notes...)**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten:

_Now there's green light in my eyes,_

_and my lover on my mind._

* * *

"You have to look extra hot if you're starting your first night in the Black Room! Those other girls will probably act like they hate you, but trust me they are just jealous." said an exuberant older woman who was lining a precise black line over Sakura's top lash line.

The lady brushed Sakura's now semi long hair, and put a product in that made it smell delicious, and made it softer to the touch. She dusted shimmery dust over Sakura's arms and chest and cheeks, making every last touch count.

"Last but not least, red lipstick might be too much for you so I picked a dark pink, it will look nice with your hair." The old woman gleamed with pride of her work. She handed a mirror to Sakura, who's eyes widened.

She looked good, she would admit that. It was so strange to see herself so done up. The pink haired girl shifted uncomfortably in her skin tight black skirt.

Lastly, the older woman pinned a paper with a number onto the front of Sakura's fishnet top.

"This is how you will get picked, if your number is called. You go, got it?" The lady had run over all the proper etiquette, tips, and instructions needed to be one of the girls in the infamous Black Room. It was like Hooker 101. It made Sakura queezy and uncomfortable but she had no plan to stay.

The Black Room was dark, no pun intended. The lighting was dim and colorful and flashy at times. It smelt like a run of the mill bar, but with the smells of perfume and food dishes mixed in. Sakura accompanied about fifteen other girls behind a glass, sitting on velvet cushions. It was like a store display window in a way, but she knew it was probably to keep everyone in one place.

Sakura felt the hungry, hard gaze of every man who stepped up to observe the selection. She did her best do give them disgustingly mean glares back.

"Sakura, you're suppose to be smiling and looking inviting!" Kiko elbowed her, grinning to a samurai who had been at the window a while.

Sakura rolled her eyes.

_Yeah right, this is the longest night of my life and if one more man looks at me I swear I will rip his eyes from the sockets with my bare hands, chakra or none! _

Inner Sakura fizzled angrily as the young woman tried to keep her self composure.

_All I have to do is get alone with one of them really...knock them out, and get my hands on their weapons. Hm, its worth a shot._

Sakura grinned at her little plan in case she was in fact chosen.

"It's going to be a long night." Kiko huffed as the samurai had walked away to get another drink.

"Hmph." Sakura rested her chin on her hand and tried to pretend she was somewhere else.

* * *

It was finally the ungodly hour of the night that Sasuke was sure all shameful acts would be committed.

He had found the underground establishment easily, having remembered his time there with Suigetsu. Once he was sure he had relocated it, he waited for the late hours of the night to fall, when the place would be overrun with drunk criminals,adulterous samurai, and every other scum in between that spent their free nights in a secret brothel bar.

The young Uchiha drew his black hood over his head and pulled up the black mask around his nose, wearing a similar shirt that Kakashi wore to conceal his face.

Quietly he entered the dark and flashy underground maze. He was escorted to one of the bars where hostesses walked around giving attention to the customers and pouring drinks. Sasuke sat quietly at a table surveying the area. No pink hair yet.

Sasuke knew this wasn't the only room in the whole place, and if Sakura had been taken, maybe she had truly been forced into prostitution as Suigetsu said was rumored. Although the thought made Sasuke absolutely squirm, he couldn't cancel out that it could very well be true.

"Well...hello there. Could I get you something to drink, sir?" said a flirtatious brunette, twirling her hair in her fingers.

Sasuke cleared his throat and replied, "Do you know where I could get some...service."

"You must want to go to the Black Room, figures as much, I'll show you there handsome." She winked as she took Sasuke through various rooms and hallways before entering the elaborate and luxurious room known as the Black Room. It was obviously intended for men with lots of money to blow, and with dark intentions.

The hostess brought a man dressed in a suit to Sasuke,

"Ah, hello. Our little hostess tells me you come here for," he looked back to the girls in the cushion-y room behind glass, "service." He grinned and showed Sasuke the way.

The man was obviously in charge of payments and making the girls did their job, he explained prices and such to the Uchiha in disguise.

"Now, number 54 is a fine choice, very...cooperative. Ah, there is also number 33 she is just lovely, and experienced. The most popular women are 54, 67, and 12." The suited man went on enthusiastically, trying to sell his scheme.

Sasuke laid eyes on the girl...or rather the young woman with the pink hair. It didn't look like Sakura, but he knew no one else would have that hair...or such green eyes. Her dark pink lips were pouting and her dramatic eyes were staring off into space. More length of her long, milky legs were exposed than he had ever seen before. Sasuke had never seen her look like this, so much he almost had doubts. Sakura looked very much unlike herself, but he knew it was her.

It still made his mouth dry.

"What about the one with the pink hair?" Sasuke inquired to the man.

"Ah, well yes. Number 19. She is brand new, I wouldn't recommend her she may not be very...willing at first. Although, she is a very exotic looking, youthful girl."

"I want her, then." Sasuke tried to keep his voice lower than normal and under a guise.

"Are you sure, sir? What about 56, or the one over there, she is much pricier but she is worth it!" The man was obviously ticked he couldn't get Sasuke to spend more money.

"I said, 19." Sasuke spoke sternly.

"Well...if you wish," The man tapped his finger on a microphone and said cheerfully "Number 19, number 19. Come down, honey!"

Sakura hadn't even budged until Kiko hit her in the arm and motioned explaining that she was being chosen. The calm facade on Sakura's face had instantly fallen, obvious distress painting a picture on her face.

"I will warn you though, she is a rather...feisty individual." The man whispered to Sasuke.

Sakura walked out angrily, when a a couple of men standing by the door whistled at her. One of them even had the nerve to put a hand on her lower back.

"Come to daddy." The older, lecherous shinobi purred disgustingly.

Enraged, the fiery pink headed girl turned around to land in a fist in his stomach, and to twist his wrist, then promptly shoving him backwards into a table.

She bent over, "Who's your daddy now?" she said with an evil grin and stalked away.

"See. I told you. But anyways, I need the payment now. You have an hour, two if you wanna pay a little extra." The man in the suit said in Sasuke's ear and handed him a key to a room down the hall.

The dark haired boy made sure his hooded was still up and his appearance was still concealed as he lead the way, the obviously infuriated girl treading behind him.

Silently he opened the door to a lavish bedroom and shut it behind them. Sakura sat down with her arms crossed and glaring daggers at the hooded man's back.

_Don't panic. Do not. Panic. _

On the outside Sakura maintained a tough exterior but the whole situation was making her extremely uneasy considering her chakra was cut off.

The mysterious man had yet to face her.

"Look, bastard. I don't care if you paid away your families dinner for the next month, I'm staying right here, fully clothed." She huffed.

The man made a sound with his breath that could have passed for a very faint laugh. Almost.

Finally, he turned around, keeping his head down. He reached under his hood and pulled down the face mask, and very slowly pulled back the black hood.

His dark eyelashes lifted revealing none other than the blood red iris of the sharingan.

Sakura's stomach dropped like a broken elevator, her chest constricting with shock, fear, confusion.

"S-sasuke?"

* * *

**AN:/ *dodges flying fruit, chairs, etc* I know, I am THAT person who ended a chapter like that. **

**For that, I am sorry, but hey it only took 10 whole chapters for them to be face to face. -nervous laughter-**

**But seriously, Ten whole chapters? Can you believe it? Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story, and welcome to the shippers who are new to this story, its an honor.**

**I just can't believe I have 34 follows? YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING.**

**Please comment, and also**

**POLL:**

**What is your favorite SasuSaku related song, what song would you (so far) relate to this story? I'm curious, I love music and always like referring to music that can relate to stories/ writing. **

**Anyways thats enough babbling, love you all! **


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven:

_You're a hard soul to save_

_with an ocean in the way_

_but I'll get around it. _

* * *

"S-Sasuke..."

His named trembled coming out of her mouth, quietly. Sakura was trying so hard to register what had just occurred.

Sasuke...Uchiha Sasuke was standing in front of her, in a bed room, in a brothel, underground.

"You...you sick son of a bitch!" Sakura growled backing up as far as she could.

The look on his face was one of utter confusion. Then, it clicked in his mind.

_She thinks I'm really here to sleep with a prostitute, that prostitute being her..._

"Sakura." He said sternly, trying to give her a look that would convey what he was trying to say without talking so much.

"Is this what all missing nin do? Never thought I'd see you in the likes of this kind of place, _Sasuke._" She spat as coldy as she possibly could.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Sakura. I don't have time to explain. We're leaving, I need to get you out." The Uchiha was clearly frustrated as he spoke very quietly.

"Why would you get me out! How did you know I was here?!" Sakura stifled a shouting tone. She was clearly starting to get anxious.

"Shut up, I will explain everything after we escape, can you just cooperate for once?" Sasuke said, annoyed.

_What is going on...Why is Sasuke here? How did he know I would be here? _

_Do I trust him? _

_Damn it._

_Damn it, damn it...ugh! _

Inner Sakura was practically having a meltdown trying to understand what exactly was happening. Her ex teammate, was here to what? Save her? Kill her? What were his motives?

Sasuke walked to the bed and threw a pillow on the ground, and moved the sheets and blankets around considerably. He knew he had to make it look like something had happened, in case they came and checked the room.

"Let's go." He said softly but seriously.

"I'm not going anywhere with you! Have you lost your mind, tell me what the hell you're doing here..." Sakura clenched her fists and backed away.

The dark haired boy let out a heavy sigh and flash stepped behind her.

"I really didn't want to have to do it this way."

Before she could respond, she was out cold and collapsed in his arms.

Sasuke felt guilty about knocking her out, but he knew it was probably the easiest way to go, he was not under any circumstances going to let her stay there. Sakura would forgive him for knocking her unconscious, but he wouldn't forgive himself if he failed this mission.

Sasuke held her to his chest and put his cloak around both of them to conceal her unconscious form.

He looked down at the limp girl in his arms and shook his head.

Of _course_ she would react that way...

_Stubborn. _

Sasuke paused.

Would it really be wise to walk through the door and try to leave?

He weighed his options and decided the safest for both of them would be a transportation jutsu, thankfully he had enough chakra for both of them but they would probably end up far away.

He cleared his mind just as he heard a knock on the door.

Without hesitation or much thought, he transported both of them out of the room.

"Sir, I'm afraid your time is up? I know, I know, you can always pay for for more time if you just can't restrain yourself. Hello? Sir?" The man knocked on the door several more times until unlocking it himself.

An empty room and a bed with disheveled sheets was what he saw.

"Oh, no! Guards! Guards! One of our girls and clients are missing, do a full sweep of the bar and rooms just to make sure. If you don't find BOTH of them, inform Gorou...you know what will happen."

The Guards nodded and quickly began their search.

* * *

Sasuke had ended up taking them somewhere in a safe, ordinary village. The village was tucked away in hills and trees, and the stars were extremely visible, unlike in Konoha where the lights sometimes dim out the stars.

He sat on the grassy hill and tried to make his appearance less suspicious. He lost the face mask and hood and concealed his weapons into a scroll. Once he was sure he appeared some what harmless, he scooped Sakura back up, who was still out.

_This should be interesting to explain to the inn owners. _

Sasuke made his way to a small, yet nice inn inside the village. Walking through the doors with an unconsciousness girl in his arms was probably questionable, as the woman at the front raised an eyebrow.

"Oh my dear, is she alright?" The women said with concern.

"Yes. She just... had too much to drink, she will need to rest." Sasuke assumed they would believe his lie that Sakura was passed out drunk in his arms.

"Tsk, tsk. Here's a key, I'll have them send some soothing tea and water bottles to your room."

Sasuke nodded in appreciation and headed down the hallway to the room.

He stepped in and flipped on the light.

One bed.

_Fantastic. _

Sasuke sighed and gently set Sakura down on the bed and decided he would wait for her to come to, since he knew she would probably throw some kind of fit.

It was a perfect time roll out the extra futon.

* * *

_What a weird dream I had last night...Sasuke was there and.._

_Open your eyes. _

Sakura slowly lifted her eyelids to see a ceiling, one that she did not recognize.

She knew for sure she wasn't in the brothel anymore, but she didn't know where she was, or why, or _with who. _So, she remained completely still hoping she could hear something to let her know.

"I know you're awake."

_Shit. _

_Is that really his voice? _

Keeping her gaze down she slowly sat up on the bed, and looked around. She was obviously at an inn, in a room, and...

Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on the ground on top of a futon drinking tea and staring at her like she had truly gone insane. She pulled the blanket over her exposed legs and refused to look him in the eye.

"Sakura."

_There it goes again._

_Yeah, that his voice..._

She looked up to meet his gaze.

_Calm down, just talk it out...like normal people. _

"What the hell is going on? Why were you there, and how in the hell did you know I was there?" Sakura said cautiously.

He looked at her for a moment before answering.

"A mission."

_Leave it up to him to be vague, no matter what. _

"Did you just say mission?! For? From?" Sakura said, this just kept getting even more unusual.

"From Lady Hokage, I was assigned a retrieval mission." He said calmly, as if the past four years had never happened.

"Am I dreaming or drugged? Or missing something? How could you have a mission out of Konoha!"

Sasuke just glared at her, he knew she wasn't stupid enough to not put the pieces together.

"You...you went back..."

He nodded and looked down.

_Why do these things happen while I'm MIA!?_

"I did not know you would be there, but it was a guess and the Hokage saw that worth pursuing if it meant I could return her apprentice." Sasuke explained, he mentioned the details about what Suigetsu told him and how he had found her merely based on an educated guess.

"What if I don't believe you..." Sakura said, even though she knew deep down, she did. She had to test the waters.

"You were sent on a mission to the Land of Tea and when Konoha received word you never made it there, they assumed something wrong had happened somewhere down the line." Sasuke spoke rather calmly. He even relayed the details of her mission, that told Sakura he was most likely being honest.

Sakura knew he was telling the truth but she was still very surprised by the turn of events.

"Why would she send you? Alone?"

"I knew the whereabouts." Sasuke left out the part about her being his ticket to freedom.

"Well...I was going to get out of there tonight anyways, I didn't need your help." She huffed and crossed her arms.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"So annoying." Sasuke flopped down onto his futon and pulled the blankets over his head.

It was silent and awkward for a moment.

"You can have the bed if you want, I know you have probably been traveling a lot and so maybe you-"

"Sakura." He cut her off, his voice gravely.

"What?"

"Go to sleep."

Sakura supressed the strange feeling the enveloped her every time he spoke, spoke normally... not hatefully, or angrily...just normally. It was something she had not had the pleasure to hear in a very long time. Just Sasuke, just speaking. Fate had been kind to her, when it sent Sasuke home, and then sent Sasuke to her. She knew that she was lucky, as much as she hated being viewed as some kind of damsel in distress, maybe this needed to happen. Although, she was worried about trusting him. Could he really be here so plainly, like they had never tried to kill each other in the past? Like he hadn't left her out cold on a stone park bench? Like she hadn't gone after him with her own weapon? She knew she would have to get over the past if she ever wanted to see her village again, things weren't the same but of course they never would be.

Things change, seasons turn, tides go out and sometimes you just have to adjust. Sakura knew it would be useless living in the past, even if it was all she had to go off of.

She snuggled down deep into the covers, she could faintly hear his steady breathing and she knew he was already asleep. The poor guy was probably exhausted, she had guessed as much.

"Good night...Sasuke."

* * *

**AN:/ SasuSaku DIALOGUE, look how far we have come. ^.^ Sorry if this chapter isn't super exciting, at least they are together. Tell me what you think of the chapter, and how the story is coming along so far. **

**Reviews are very appreciated. **

**Much loveeeeeeeee. **

**Also- if anyone is interested in doing cover art, AMVS, ect let me know I think that stuff is super cool. **

**xoxo**


End file.
